Sunday May 29, 2016

Google is supposedly "getting serious" about tackling fragmentation with Android, which is definitely one of the OS’s biggest problems. The company is taking steps to shame vendors that lag behind, but there’s also those pesky carriers to worry about.

Google is using more forceful tactics. It has drawn up lists that rank top phone makers by how up-to-date their handsets are, based on security patches and operating system versions, according to people familiar with the matter. Google shared this list with Android partners earlier this year. It has discussed making it public to highlight proactive manufacturers and shame tardy vendors through omission from the list, two of the people said. The people didn’t want to be identified to maintain their relationships with Google.